An assistant principal and wrestling coach at Hastings High School was charged Tuesday with embezzling nearly $14,000 meant for the school’s wrestling team, allegedly using it instead on out-of-state trips to college football games.
Joshua Gerald McLay, 37, of Hastings, faces eight counts of theft by swindle and eight counts of embezzlement of public funds, all felonies.
According to charging documents filed by the Dakota County prosecutor, the thefts go back to September 2011.
The charges state that McLay took roads trips to college football games from 2011 to 2018 as far away as Florida, and then sought reimbursement from the school district for hotels, van and RV rentals, food and gas by saying the trips were to coaching clinics.
He sometimes used his district credit card, and some years he sought reimbursement for football tickets.
“The investigation revealed that all of the above expenses were claimed to be for coaches clinics, but that no coaches clinics took place on any of these trips,” said Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom in a statement.
According to a statement last year from the district, the money McLay used was from a fund made up of donations from individuals and businesses for the wrestling team. Under the district’s policies, that money can be used only for equipment, training, events and travel expenses related to the wrestling team.